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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has refused to deny that ministers are considering introducing a higher level 4 of coronavirus restrictions, less than three weeks after the launch of the three-level lockdown model.
Officials are reportedly working on plans for an additional layer of measures that force nonessential restaurants and shops to close in the parts of England with the highest infection rates.
When asked if a new level 4 was being considered, Raab told BBC Radio 4’s Today show on Friday: “We are always ready for further action that we can take. But I think the most important thing about the additional measures is that we continue on the path we are following to attack the virus. “
Level one – medium
- The “rule of six” applies, which means that it is forbidden to socialize in groups of more than six people, whether indoors or outdoors.
- Merchants can continue to come to a home to work and are not counted as part of the six-person limit.
- Businesses and venues can continue to operate, but pubs and restaurants need to ensure that customers only consume food and beverages while seated and close between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- Take-out can continue to be sold after 10 pm if ordered by phone or online.
- Schools and universities remain open.
- Places of worship remain open, but people should not mix in a group of more than six.
- Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of people who can attend (15 and 30 respectively).
- Exercise classes and organized sports can continue to take place outdoors and, if the rule of six is followed, indoors.
Level two – high
- People are prohibited from socializing with people outside their home or with bubbles of support in any indoor environment.
- Traders can continue to go home to work.
- The rule of six still applies to socializing outdoors, for example in a garden or in a public space such as a park or a beach.
- Businesses and venues can continue to operate, but pubs and restaurants need to ensure that customers only consume food and beverages while seated and close between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- Take-out can continue to be sold after 10 p.m. M. If ordered online or by phone.
- Schools and universities remain open.
- Places of worship remain open, but people should not mix in a group of more than six.
- Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of people who can attend (15 and 30 respectively).
- Exercise classes and organized sports may continue to take place outdoors, but will only be allowed indoors if people can avoid mixing with people they don’t live with (or don’t share a bubble of support with ), or for youth or disabled sports.
- Travel to open services, for work, or to access education is allowed, but people are advised to reduce the number of trips whenever possible.
Level three: very high
- People are prohibited from socializing with people they do not live with or have not formed a supportive bubble with, in any indoor setting, private garden, or most outdoor hospitality venues and ticketed events.
- Traders can continue to go home to work.
- The rule of six still applies to public outdoor spaces, such as parks, beaches, public gardens, or sports facilities.
- Pubs and bars can only remain open to operate as restaurants, in which case alcohol can only be served as part of a substantial meal.
- Schools and universities remain open.
- Places of worship remain open, but domestic mixing is not allowed.
- Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of people attending (15 and 30 respectively), but wedding receptions are not allowed.
- The rules for exercise classes and organized sport are the same as for level 2. They can continue to take place outdoors, but will only be allowed indoors if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with. (or share a bubble with support), or for youth sports or for the disabled. However, in Merseyside, gyms were ordered to close when they entered level 3.
- Avoid traveling outside of an area with a very high alert level or entering an area with a very high alert level, except for reasons such as work, education or youth services, to fulfill care responsibilities or if you are traveling as part of a longer trip.
- Residents of a level 3 area should avoid spending the night in another part of the UK, while people living in a level 1 or level 2 area should avoid spending the night in a very high alert level area.
Ministers are under increasing pressure to announce a nationwide circuit breaker, as hospital admissions in the hardest-hit parts of the country exceed the height of the first wave.
Raab, who is in fact Boris Johnson’s number two, insisted that the “overwhelming scientific advice” to the government was that local closures were “the right way to go.”
He said the government was “working hard to avoid” a second national blockade despite the fact that France, Germany and Wales announced similar measures across the country in recent days.
He told Sky News that the idea of ”a short, sharp circuit breaker is frankly something of a conundrum” and that those asking for one had not established the route out of a national intervention.
The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned five weeks ago that the government should urgently consider a two-week circuit breaker lockout across the country, similar to that in the spring while keeping most schools open. , but this was ignored at the time.
Raab said on BBC Radio 4’s Today show that “the overwhelming scientific advice for us is that specific actions are the right way to go if you take them and are committed to them.”
He added: “The arbitrariness of a general approach would be far worse than the effects of trying to be as specific as possible” and that a localized approach was “fair” and “fits the natural justice that we are focusing on in areas where the rebound is the biggest ”.
